We have lots of various threads here that touch on some of Rohmer's films, but I don't think we have one general thread.... Anyway, I'm currently working my way through his films, and I'm really enjoying them. So far, I've seen My Night at Maud's, Summer (Le Rayon Vert), A Summer's Tale, and The Marquise of O. On tap for this weekend: Claire's Knee. I'm choosing from what Netflix offers. They have a pretty nice selection, though I've been told that some of his best works are missing from the list. So, Rohmer fans: Maybe you can help me prioritize? I love hearing various opinions about which of his works are personal favorites, so please share if you're so inclined.

Netflix offers:

The Aviator's Wife (1981)

Boyfriends & Girlfriends (1987)

Chloe in the Afternoon (1972)

Claire's Knee (1970)

Eric Rohmer Collection: The Moral Tales (1963)

Full Moon in Paris (1984)

A Good Marriage (1981)

La Collectionneuse (1966)

The Lady and the Duke (2001)

The Marquise of O (1976)

My Night at Maud's (1969)

Pauline at the Beach (1983)

Perceval (1978)

Summer (Le Rayon Vert) (1986)

A Summer's Tale (1996)

A Tale of Springtime (1989)

In order of my preference, and no, don't ask why I've not seen the later moral tales:

The Aviator's Wife
La Rayon Vert
Boyfriends & Girlfriends
Autumn Tale
A Summer's Tale
La Collectionneuse
A Tale of Springtime
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery
The Lady and the Duke
Suzanne's Career

Dale

...with Perceval at the top.

Perceval is currently no. four in my Netflix queue, as I recall.

Dale

Suzanne's Career, and The Baker of Monceau are at the top of my list. There is such a good backstory to these films in the life of Rohmer getting back behind the camera after The Sign of Leo. They are both very steeped in the New Wave, he is still trying to find his own two legs stylistically.

And then after these, the other four moral tales gain such a momentum. The dialogue, the ironic moral sense, the long takes, all Rohmer's stock and trade. The other series is fine up to Le Rayon Vert, which is spectacular. (I can't recall who was so adamant about this being the best Rohmer film, I think it was Rosenbaum.) [SPOILERS] The end of Le Rayon Vert is such a joyful, affirming moment. It is a moment we want to happen, but Rohmer only allows us to be expectant until it actually does happen. Like Delphine, we as the audience need it to happen, we need it to break the tension in the malignant loneliness that the film evokes. But the event in question is more of a magical moment than a realist one, there really isn't room for such things in a Rohmer film. And then... A Ha!... Rohmer actually commits to the phenomenon and closes the film. The ease with which he uses this magical moment comes very close to merging a sort of psychological fantasy with a romantic reality, something that Rohmer managed to avoid in early films. I am painting here with broad strokes, but the placement of this image in his body of work is almost shocking.


Triple Agent was disappointing to me, it seemed that Rohmer could not keep track of his characters as well as he used to, and replaces that sensitivity with very controlled characterizations instead. And it was so pointed, so clearly defined. Not what I am used to in Rohmer. Same with The Lady and the Duke, I just don't think he does as well with period material.

Haven't seen Perceval, to my undying shame.

Sadly, I haven't seen much Rohmer, but from your list I particularly like Pauline at the Beach, and especially Full Moon in Paris with the wonderful Pascale Ogier. It's a great tragedy that she died so young.

Like MLeary, I haven't seen the highly regarded Perceval and wish that I could. It doesn't appear to be available on DVD in the UK.

I've only seen Perceval (via Netflix) and My Night at Maude's (via Doug C care package special, IIRC; thanks as always DC!).

Found Maude's very intriguing.

Loved Perceval.

wow, finally someone comes up with Rohmer...Only watched Tale of Sringtime, Boyfriend and Girlfriend and Summer's Tale, with Tale of SPringtime ended up as one of my favorite movie...Anyone recommend Triple Agent and Le Signe du Lion???

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING for Le Rayon Vert/The Green Ray/Summer/whatever it's being called today:

DO NOT WATCH THE VHS VERSION, as I did when I saw it a few years ago. Because of a crappy transfer, the ending that ML spoilerly talks about above has the EXACT OPPOSITE IMPACT as was intended. I only figured out the intended ending by going online afterward and reading comments by people who had seen it theatrically complaining about the VHS tape. The DVD does not have this problem, apparently.

(SPOILERS FOR BREAKING THE WAVES AND LE RAYON VERT!)

By way of very close analogy, the VHS transfer is as if the last shot of Breaking the Waves were of a clear, empty blue sky.

Dale

In order of preference (the Moral Tales are generally my favorites):

Maud's
Chloe in the Afternoon
The Marquise of O
The Collector
The Girl in the Monceau Bakery
Pauline at the Beach
A Tale of Springtime
Claire's Knee
The Aviator's Wife
Suzanne's Career

My Night at Maud's is paramount to me, although I haven't seen the highly regarded Perceval.

I would agree with MLeary on the Suzanne's Career and The Girl in the Monceau Bakery comments, especially when going into My Night at Maud's.

I would be interested in your reaction to Claire's Knee. I need to watch that again because I think it is a softer more subtle story regarding the Moral Tales.

Just so you are aware, Chloe in the Afternoon, Claire's Knee, La Collectionneuse and My Night at Maud's are all part of Eric Rohmer Collection: The Moral Tales.

Yeah, asher, that's good to know. I should have clarified that. What Netflix calls The Eric Rohmer Collection: The Moral Tales is really only a disc containing The Girl at the Monceau Bakery and Suzanne's Career.

Rohmer was one of the first directors I explored during an important (for me) phase, four or five years ago, when I was trying to get a handle on the Big Name Important Filmmakers (or something like that). Several people I know have had an experience with Rohmer similar to my own: After watching one film (Maud or Chloe, I can't remember which), I was so taken by the style of storytelling and the unexpected narrative tension he can generate from so little conflict that I rented everything else that was available and watched ten or twelve of his films over the span of a few weeks. Except for The Lady and the Duke, which I caught in the theater, I don't believe I've watched another of his films since.

I'm sure I've already mentioned this on some incarnation of the forum, but I've discovered that my opinion of a Rohmer filmer depends largely on how powerfully I'm attracted to the lead characters. The rule applies mostly to the female characters, of course, but I think there's something in Rohmer's style that demands a kind of sexualized tension or desire. Maybe that's why he so often tells stories of young love, even in many of the films he made in his seventies.

I just picked up a copy of Maud during the last Deep Discount DVD sale and am looking forward to revisiting it. Maybe a bunch of us could plan to (re)watch it about the same time -- a kind of informal film club discussion.

Again, although it's been years since I saw it, I always say La Collectionneuse is my favorite of his films. Just don't ask me to defend that opinion.

Scratch Marquise of O, mix the rankings around a bit, add in Le Rayon Vert, and my list would be really close to this.

Is Prins the only one with love for Autumn Tale? I really enjoyed that one.

Gosh, I need to get back to Rohmer. In the mid 90s I went on a Rohmer kick, and really loved Claire's Knee, My Night at Maude's, Boyfriends and Girlfriends. But strangely, they haven't stayed with me. I've learned a lot about watching movies since then... maybe I should go back through them.

Sounds like I need to have first encounters with Perceval and The Aviator's Wife.

If you changed your font style, size and color, put everything in italics and copied my list, ours would be really close.

No, it's wonderful and definitely the best of the Four Seasons. (But not on R1 DVD, alas.)

Perceval is a very unique film for Rohmer, a highly stylized period piece! (I know, he's done a couple of them in the last 40 years.) But it's still quintessentially "Rohmerian" in its characters and concerns. It's a really great film.

The Lady and the Duke is highly stylized as well. It's a hard film to love, but, well, I love it.

I think it's very underappreciated. Don't know that I love it, though.

I've seen maybe 15-20 Rohmer films and I've never seen a bad one.

It's a hard film to love, but, well, it's okay.

Also, Doug's last sentence . Among active filmmakers, only Mike Leigh (if you count his television movies) has made about as many films without making a bad one.

Dale

Coming in August...

Six Moral Tales

The multifaceted, deeply personal dramatic universe of Eric Rohmer has had an effect on cinema unlike any other. Gently existential, hyperarticulate character studies set against vivid seasonal landscapes, Rohmer's audacious and wildly influential series defined a genre. A succession of jousts between fragile men and the women who tempt them, the Six Moral Tales unleashed onto the film world a new voice, one that was at once sexy, philosophical, modern, daring, nonjudgmental, and liberating.

SPECIAL DELUXE EDITION SIX-DISC BOX SET

• The Bakery Girl of Monceau
• Suzanne s Career
• My Night at Maud's
• La collectionneuse
• Claire's Knee
• Love in the Afternoon

Special features:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfers, supervised and approved by director Eric Rohmer
• Exclusive new video conversation with Eric Rohmer and Barbet Schroeder
• Short films: Nadja in Paris, Charlotte and Her Steak, Une étudiante d aujourd hui, The Camber, and Véronique and Her Dunce
• Archival interviews with Rohmer, actors Jean-Claude Brialy, Béatrice Romand, Laurence de Monaghan, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, film critic Jean Douchet, and producer Pierre Cottrell
• Video afterword with filmmaker and writer Neil LaBute
• Original theatrical trailers
• A book featuring the original stories by Eric Rohmer
• A booklet featuring For a Talking Cinema by Eric Rohmer, a memoir from Nestor Almendros, and six new essays by Geoff Andrew, Ginette Vincendeau, Phillip Lopate, Kent Jones, Molly Haskell, and Armond White

This and MoC's Naruse set have to be the early favorites for release of the year.

It is going to be nice to have these new transfers, but the best thing about the set is those short films that have been hard to track down in the past.

And I look forward to seeing Bakery Girl and Suzanne's Career on something other than a well worn VHS!

The two Rohmer interviews alone add up to more than two hours of extras. Sell your Fox Lorber editions on ebay now.

I was hoping that as an act of civil disobedience we could do a mass collective C.O.D. mailing of the DVD's back to Fox/Lorber executives responsible for the original releases.

I don't know who is doing those interviews, but if they are anything like the Daney/Rivette interviews, we are all in for a re-education. It is stunning how much those dialogues reconfigured my appreciation for Rivette. Just reading some of Rohmer's commentary on his own films (The Green Ray in particular), I have the feeling this may be the case in this context as well.

Where are these, MLeary?

I think M may be referring to Claire Denis' film, Jacques Rivette, the Night Watchman, which was her contribution to the excellent Cinema de notre temps series, which includes clips of Daney interviewing Rivette. I've only seen this on 35mm, but I know MK2 in France is slowly releasing the series sans subtitles on DVD. The Rohmer equivalent would be Eric Rohmer: With Supporting Evidence. I'm not sure if one of the Criterion interviews is actually this film or not, but it would be nice if it was.

Thanks for the info, Doug.

Yeah, I was referring to Jacques Rivette - Le veilleur. I didn't know you could see them on anything other than 35mm or streaky VHS, as I managed to catch them during a Claire Denis binge at the Forum des Images videotheque, sans sous titres. I had a hard time keeping up with their learned French.

There is a fantastic moment in which the both of them are walking down the left edge of the Champs Elysees (or a street somewhere on that block towards the Arc). Denis' crew is pulling the camera down the street in front of them as they slowly walk and talk, but as they had not blocked off the street a madly honking car pulls up behind them. They manage to finish the shot anyway.

Scattered about the film are solitary shots of both Daney and Rivette, riding subways, walking, etc... They are very interesting, personal moments. Denis does something special in those two hours.

Anybody find/recommend an irresistable price for this box set? $64.97 w/DVD Planet seems to be the leader.

Film archivist Robert Harris gives Criterion's new box set a glowing review.

This topic has been moved to the better-suited "Film Awards, Festivals, and Lists" forum...

Huh?

So I guess you'll be moving the "Blue/White/Red" too?

Oh all right, I'll start a new thread for the Moral Tales.

No...BWR isn't "the films of Kieslowski" but an integrated trilogy. I'm definitely relatively ignorant when it comes to Rohmer, but are all his films an integrated work?

The Python films topic is in this forum, as is the Coen Bros. topic and other, um, lists of films.

I don't think that makes sense, Alan. I'd guess that as soon as that DVD set hits the street, there will be discussions of a film or films in this thread, and not just listmaking.

The Moral Tales may not be as narratively-interconnected as Three Colors, but there is the same sort of commonality of theme.

Right, it's just that we've been focused on the Moral Tales cycle for a while, which is as thematically integrated as Kieslowski's trilogy...but I forgot that the thread did start by talking about Rohmer in general.

Just a quick note, it looks like Netflix is stocking the new release versions, too, so if you go that route, opt for the Criterions over the old Fox Lorbers.

Then I would strong encourage you to created dedicated threads for each film. This allows for much more effective cross-referencing and film ratings.

DVDBeaver chimes in.

All very good news. This might be one set I actually stump up and buy.

"Understandably the shorter Suzanne's Career is the weakest of the six with some damage showing in the bottom of scene shifts, but in comparison to the Fox/Lorber DVD edition it has obviously had some attentive work done. The Monceau Bakery Girl looks fairly clean but its age and production method have it as the next to weakest in the collection."

I have to disagree with the tenor of this, as it was only reasonable to expect that these two would be somewhat worn. I fully understand that DVDBeaver is simply cataloguing the technical details of this set, but I have always appreciated the artifacts on these two early prints in a curmudgeonly Maddinish way. I am comfortable with their age in the same way I prefer to watch Tati's early stuff on VHS.

I do look forward to a cleaned-up Le Rayon Vert though.

Yeah, you know apart from the title highlights and excellent screen captures, I really only read the Beaver for info on the quality of the digital transfer. I have no problem with film damage (although I would hope a DVD company would digitize the best possible--and cleaned--print, although this isn't always the case), but lazy PAL-to-NTSC dubs or digital artifacts or incorrect cropping just infuriate me, especially given the cost of DVDs these days.

I can't wait for those Rohmer interviews...

Oh, and (M), the Arrow R2 Le Rayon Vert isn't too bad--it's certainly an improvement over the Fox Lorber. It's one of the films Rohmer shot in 16mm, and I think some of its graininess can be attributed to that (even though 16mm is still much higher resolution than PAL or NTSC).

And it looks like sites like Amazon UK still the Arrow 8-film box set for less than £30.

One of my dream jobs would be designing packaging and DVD art/menus for Criterion. Their designers are so good. They manage to turn the sets into little pieces of art.

I have seen that one a few times, but have never seen the Fox Lorber unless that close to the old VHS I used to check out from the library. It is decent, but I am trying to find a few other 16mm films I have seen on DVD that I could compare it to. Still looking...

Darren, what do you think of the recent Criterion redesign? The new logo, website, and general look of their packaging?

16mm can look incredible on DVD. Some of Criterion's transfers--like their recent Mr. Arkadin--were actually done using 16mm prints, and you'd never know it.

There is some discussion as to whether or not the some of the grainniness of Le Rayon Vert is endemic to the original negative or its subsequent video transfers.

Due to the nature of the filming of the last few reels of Le Rayon, specifically the scenes framing the extended horizon shot, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were the case. He spent a long time sitting there letting the camera roll on the horizon for that famous shot, and the ad hoc nature of his filming towards the end wouldn't have allowed the time necessary to control lighting conditions. They were a bit on the fly, rather uncharacteristic for Rohmer. Parts of me wish that there was more definition on the crucial image of the film, but being a Bazin fan I do enjoy musing on the ontological statement made by 16mm color.

Variation on the original question:

If you were going to introduce a group of ambitious Christian moviegoers to the work of Rohmer, which film would you show them, with plans to discuss it for an hour afterward?

I'm leaning toward My Night at Maud's or Claire's Knee. Is that a wise place to start?

If they are ambitious enough to sidestep My Night at Maud's, which lends itself immediately to Christian conversation, I would hop right into Claire's Knee. The latter film is a far better example of what Rohmer is all about, nonchalant storytelling that ends up going right for a moral jugular. Maude's is a film everyone needs to see and discuss in the context of a thoughtful group, but Claire's Knee is an even better example of how Christians can engage with films with such salacious plotlines.

And it is just such a pleasure to watch.

I think Mike may be right with the sidestepping idea, however, I do think that My Night at Maud's lends itself to more controlled discussion a bit better. There are themes and topics which are a bit more obvious with My Night.... In the end, I suppose one needs to know the group.

When you say "ambitious" what does that mean in relationship to this group?